Building trauma expertise for Cyprus

A sorely afflicted island takes care of refugees.
vivo-members offered the first NET-training for Cyprus and the eastern Mediterranean region and layed the foundation for future collaborative projects.
Cyprus is an island on which the first human habitation dates 10.000 years back and due to its geographical position it has been ever since in close contact with both western and oriental civilizations. This cultural fusion characterizes the island and has contributed to a unique societal context nowadays. The 20th century has shaped the island’s modern history to what it is today: a divided country after the Turkish military invasion in 1974, which led to the uprooting of the two communities, Greek and Turkish Cypriot. Since the independence of the island from the British Colonialism and the first republic in 1960 and until the invasion there was an increasing bicommunal tension that lead to the outbreak of violence in December 1963 and initiated a long-term bloodshed between the two communities in the next years.
The continued violence that leaded to the division of the island with the Turkish invasion, created a general climate of insecurity, while many people became refugees in their own country, and thousands of lives were lost.The suffering of the people and the collective trauma experienced has not been processed and no substantial actions have been taken to assess the psychological impact of violence on people’s mental health so far.
In addition, Cyprus has become a host country for refugees coming from Middle East countries such as Lebanon, Iraq and Palestinian territories. Over the past 3 years the refugee influx increased dramatically due to the Syrian conflict. Many of the refugees reach the island’s coasts after exhausting sea travelling in small and crowded boats, risking their own lives in a desperate flight from what many call “a sure death situation”. These tragic conditions have raised the issue of psychological trauma among organizations providing care for incoming refugees. Similarly, the academic community of the island is now becoming aware of the untreated collective trauma experienced by the communities of Greek and Turkish Cypriots.

On initiative by Dr. Charis Psaltis director of the University Centre for Field Studies (UCFS, University of Cyprus) and in collaboration with vivo international member Dr. Andria Spyridou, the conference on “Resilience in post-traumatic Urban Environment” was organized and the first training for the Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) in Cyprus and the region of East Mediterranean was offered.
In November 2015 the vivo members Prof. Thomas Elbert, Dr. Maggie Schauer and Dr. Elisabeth Kaiser travelled to Cyprus to train psychologists from organizations working with refugees, unaccompanied minors, torture victims, and other vulnerable groups in Cyprus, Greece and Lebanon.

The NET training in Cyprus has lead to the initiation of collaborations between the UCFS, UNCRC, Hope for Children and the Future World Centre (FWC) the only NGO providing psychological support to refugees.

The FWC and vivo are going to implement a collaborative project in order to screen the health and wellbeing of all refugees (300 adults and children) in the Kofinou Reception Centre for Asylum seekers.Contact person Dr. Andria Spyridou

A sorely afflicted island takes care of refugees.
vivo-members offered the first NET-training for Cyprus and the eastern Mediterranean region and layed the foundation for future collaborative projects.
Cyprus is an island on which the first human habitation dates 10.000 years back and due to its geographical position it has been ever since in close contact with both western and oriental civilizations. This cultural fusion characterizes the island and has contributed to a unique societal context nowadays. The 20th century has shaped the island’s modern history to what it is today: a divided country after the Turkish military invasion in 1974, which led to the uprooting of the two communities, Greek and Turkish Cypriot. Since the independence of the island from the British Colonialism and the first republic in 1960 and until the invasion there was an increasing bicommunal tension that lead to the outbreak of violence in December 1963 and initiated a long-term bloodshed between the two communities in the next years.
The continued violence that leaded to the division of the island with the Turkish invasion, created a general climate of insecurity, while many people became refugees in their own country, and thousands of lives were lost.The suffering of the people and the collective trauma experienced has not been processed and no substantial actions have been taken to assess the psychological impact of violence on people’s mental health so far.
In addition, Cyprus has become a host country for refugees coming from Middle East countries such as Lebanon, Iraq and Palestinian territories. Over the past 3 years the refugee influx increased dramatically due to the Syrian conflict. Many of the refugees reach the island’s coasts after exhausting sea travelling in small and crowded boats, risking their own lives in a desperate flight from what many call “a sure death situation”. These tragic conditions have raised the issue of psychological trauma among organizations providing care for incoming refugees. Similarly, the academic community of the island is now becoming aware of the untreated collective trauma experienced by the communities of Greek and Turkish Cypriots.

On initiative by Dr. Charis Psaltis director of the University Centre for Field Studies (UCFS, University of Cyprus) and in collaboration with vivo international member Dr. Andria Spyridou, the conference on “Resilience in post-traumatic Urban Environment” was organized and the first training for the Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) in Cyprus and the region of East Mediterranean was offered.
In November 2015 the vivo members Prof. Thomas Elbert, Dr. Maggie Schauer and Dr. Elisabeth Kaiser travelled to Cyprus to train psychologists from organizations working with refugees, unaccompanied minors, torture victims, and other vulnerable groups in Cyprus, Greece and Lebanon.

The NET training in Cyprus has lead to the initiation of collaborations between the UCFS, UNCRC, Hope for Children and the Future World Centre (FWC) the only NGO providing psychological support to refugees.

The FWC and vivo are going to implement a collaborative project in order to screen the health and wellbeing of all refugees (300 adults and children) in the Kofinou Reception Centre for Asylum seekers.Contact person Dr. Andria Spyridou